BTS | How India’s First Sovereign Model Can Give It An Edge In The Age Of AI | Sarvam

Palak Agarwal of Business Today Magazine explains the cover story on India’s first homegrown AI models—SARVAM-30B and SARVAM-105B—unveiled at the India AI Impact Summit 2026. Designed for 22+ Indian languages and tailored for voice and conversational interfaces, these models mark a significant step in India’s journey towards AI sovereignty. In this video, we explore how Sarvam AI, co-founded by Vivek Raghavan and Pratyush Kumar, is driving India’s population-scale AI ecosystem, focusing on real-world utility rather than just technical hype. From enterprise and government applications to citizen-facing services, their models aim to empower India to move from AI consumer to AI creator. The video covers key insights from the founders on frugal innovation, infrastructure challenges, and deep-tech vision, as well as how India’s digital public infrastructure like Aadhaar and UPI could accelerate AI adoption. Experts also discuss the opportunity, strategic edge, and limitations of sovereign AI in India, including the need for energy, semiconductors, and capital to scale. For enterprises, government, and Tier II/III markets, Sarvam AI’s multilingual and voice-enabled models could transform productivity, citizen engagement, and customer experience. This is the definitive story on how India is building its own AI capabilities from the ground up.